Vice President-elect JD Vance slammed false claims from some that President-elect Donald Trump may try to withhold federal aid from California as it seeks to rebuild after the wildfires.
During an interview on “Fox News Sunday,” anchor Shannon Bream asked Vance about what Trump said at a press conference in Los Angeles in September 2024, saying he would stop giving California government aid unless the money was better spent.
“We won’t give him money to put out all his fires,” Trump said in September 2024. “And if we don’t give him the money to put out his fires, he’s got problems.”
When asked if the idea of not giving Californians help was being thought about, Vance said it wasn’t and emphatically explained that Trump is committed to making the federal government better at handling crises.
“No, look, President Trump cares about all Americans, right? He is the president for all Americans. And I think that he intends to have FEMA and other federal responses much, much better and much more clued into what’s going on there on the ground,” Vance said.
Asked about California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom’s invitation for Trump to visit his state, Vance said, “I know the president would love to visit California” and that “our hearts go out” to those affected by the natural disasters.
“Whatever your political affiliation, it’s hard not to see those images and just be heartbroken for our fellow Americans who are going through a very tough time,” Vance said.
“And I do think, frankly, the federal government has to do a better job. President Trump is committed to doing a better job when it comes to disaster relief. That’s true for the hurricane victims and flood victims in North Carolina. It’s true for the fire victims in California. We just — we have to do a better job. We need competent, good governance,” Vance added.
Vance added that Trump still can criticize Newsom “for, I think, some very bad decisions over a very long period of time.”
